


like a sea in the sky

by arenspoon (eunoias)



Series: Eymere [1]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Awkwardness, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Enchanted Forest (Disney: Frozen), F/M, Fluff, Flying, Gen, Magic, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25104601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eunoias/pseuds/arenspoon
Summary: Elsa investigates the quakes that reached even the heart of Arendelle.Hiccup just wanted to find where the singing is leading him to.And like a distant dream, it calls to him, and there’s a part of him that longs to answer.
Relationships: Elsa (Disney) & Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Elsa (Disney)/Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
Series: Eymere [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875130
Comments: 25
Kudos: 58





	1. the forest is alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His laughs were cut short when a gentle voice reached his ears. The song it sang was so fleeting and ethereal, that his heart couldn’t help but quietly hum along to the ever haunting song.

Lilac skies softly bled into the horizon, turning every surface into a golden red with its enchanted touch.

Perched on the edge overseeing the treetops, the duo sit by to wait for the sun to set. He let his legs dangle where the piece of land ended, without a single ounce of fear in falling, his mind drifting elsewhere.

Dusk was fast approaching, and it was already long past his curfew. Home was the farthest thing on his mind, and Hiccup was in no hurry to mount on his saddle, taking his sweet time to witness the daily phenomenon happening right in front of his very eyes. It never failed to spur this feeling of warmth and awe within him, something he swore he’ll never get tired of.

The salty waves glistened in the last hours of twilight as the sun bid its final farewell. Suddenly, the world was plunged in a momentary darkness, only to be replaced by something else entirely. And then, the faintest specks of silver flickered in the heavens above him, offering a smile to the souls below.

Strands of flashing greens and blues rise to soon take the sun’s place, serving as a second moon, a second light. And when he least expects it, a passing shadow catches his attention. Not far from where he sat, Toothless—too busy gnawing off his discarded prosthesic, his slobber covering every inch of the metal—missed the chance to see what had unfolded before them.

It was almost impossible to miss it—the glittering scales of a dragon, its slimmer build similar to that of the Night Fury’s, piercing the sky at the speed of light. It opens its mouth to let out an all too familiar shriek, emitting a blast of purples and vanishing without a trace. The high-pitched cry must have startled the Alpha, who completely recognized its sound.

Dropping the artificial limb with his jaw hanging wide open, a shocked Toothless scrambles on all fours, rushing to his rider’s side.

“You saw it too, didn’t you?” Hiccup glanced over his shoulders where he saw the incoming winged reptile, who very nearly knocked him off the cliff.

There was an urgency to his dragon’s movements, as if he’s asking him to pursue it. When he didn’t immediately get the message, Toothless didn’t relent, frantically tugging at his sleeve, at anything his gummy jaw could latch onto. The Viking simply laughed at the gesture all while being dragged away from his spot. “Okay, okay, bud, I got it. What got you so worked up, huh?”

Toothless narrowed his eyes impatiently at the rider, rambling in a language of gurgles and grumbles, to which Hiccup responded with a gasp of realization. “Could it really be…?”

The signs were all there—dreamy yet yearning eyes, the copious saliva dripping down his mouth. It was only then did his mind click.

It’s a _lady_ dragon, it _had_ to be. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of harassing his best friend to hurry onto his saddle. Hiccup doesn’t waste another second and picked up his metal foot and fits it on.

“Well, why didn’t you say so!” Hiccup laughed, feeling the rush of thrill go through him as he climbed up the back of his dragon.

The same could be said for his anxious friend, who all but throws himself off the precipice. “After her, bud!”

And they take off; the strong gust of winds hit Hiccup full in the face as they break through the first layer of clouds. It was freeing, every thought long since forgotten about, and he’s up there, where none of those things mattered. They soon reached the point of the Earth where all the magic was happening.

_Where the sky was awake again._

Prying his eyes off the aurora borealis always proved to be difficult for him and his friend, as they further glided past the parting clouds they left in their wake. The rough and churning waters below him perfectly reflected the sheer of moving lights like a mirror. And as he chanced a look ahead, a brilliance of colors bursted and blended in a chorus all at once.

Its soundless melodies were left unsung, and instead takes the form of silk ribbons weaving across the sky, spanning for miles and miles. Hiccup would have wanted to stay and watch more than anything, but there was no convincing the Night Fury. He’s on the hunt and he’s ready to fall in _love!_

Ah, young love. It was something he doubts he can ever have a chance at again. He isn’t too keen on having relationships yet, especially not after fucking up his last one.

 _“What you’re looking for isn’t out there.”_ the voice of his friend would remind him every so often, something he grew tired of hearing. And boy, she couldn’t have been more wrong about it.

Unmapped territories and new civilizations await for him out there, out in the great unknown. There were these invisible threads gravitating him to worlds beyond theirs—where he’s never been to before, where no one dares to go.

Like a distant dream, it calls to him, and there’s a part of him that longs to answer. And he _intends_ to.

The distressed Alpha lurched forward and they went in for a dive, snapping him back to reality. And he definitely did not like the way the contents of his stomach rise up his throat during their abrupt drop.

“Steady, bud, _steady,”_ he patted the side of the dragon as he coaxed him into keeping still. Toothless tensed slightly, straining his ears so he could listen for anything that could lead him to his potential mate. Hiccup completely understands his excitement, feeling just as giddy as he was to meet his girlfriend-to-be.

Though, Hiccup would’ve appreciated it if he maintained his composure while he’s at it. “Can you be a _little_ less distracted for a sec? We’re experiencing a bit of—”

His sentence was left unfinished when a tail smacks him upside the head. “Alright, alright! I’ll shut up! You could’ve just asked, you know!” Hiccup rubbed at the sore part in the back of his head.

And Toothless goes for another shot. This time, Hiccup was prepared for it, ducking his head to avoid his sweeping tail. He laughed in his victory, swallowing a lungful of air as he did. “Bet your ass you didn’t expect me to see that coming, huh?”

His laughs were cut short when a gentle voice reached his ears. The song it sang was so fleeting and ethereal, that his heart couldn’t help but quietly hum along to the ever haunting song. It was indescribably beautiful, and words weren’t enough to express the way his heart wanted to hear more before its music came to an end. Hel, it might as well be the Valkyries beckoning him to join their feast at the gates of Valhalla, and it was something he definitely wouldn’t want to miss.

And it so happened to be coming from the direction the Bright Fury went. The only rational thing for them to do was to follow the heartbreaking sound, which seemed to grow even stronger when they see the telltale signs of land.

The beginnings of a coastline came into view. Tendrils of fog shrouded the rest of the landmass, giving off an ominous tone. Foams of salty waves rolled into its sleepy shores, only to recede back into the sea shortly after. Majority of the beach consists of pebbles and stones, bleak and devoid of life under the moon’s light.

Like a spell, the song draws him closer and closer to the towering wall of mist. Toothless had a bad gut feeling about the entire place, and yet he himself was strangely drawn to it somehow. He soon disregards the thought in their descent, his heart dead set on meeting the female Fury.

His suspicions may have waned, but were still very much there. Hiccup could be a handful most times, as he’s never one to listen to reason, even in the face of danger. So, Toothless keeps his guard up all while searching for an opening into the great fog. And the first thing Hiccup sees is the river that leads up north.

So far, so good.

“We go upstream, we find the… the, uh, Bright Fury,” he suggested as he scanned the terrain. “What do you think?”

It’s not like they’ll die or anything. Right? And they can always change the name if he feels like it. Toothless snorted in approval, complying nonetheless. They stay close to the riverbank, allowing them to easily navigate through the dense forest.

In the middle of their trek, the Alpha lifted his snout, picking up on a distinct scent, unbeknownst to Hiccup. He breaks into a sprint, with the Viking quickly following suit.

“Woah, woah, hold on, where are _you_ going—?” Hiccup came to a halt once he stepped on an elevated surface, on something _alive._ The undergrowth and thick roots beneath his feet rhythmically rise and fall, functioning properly like a human diaphragm. It’s as if the land itself was _breathing,_ brimming with all kinds of life.

“Damn…” he whispered to himself, marveling at the inexplicable feats of nature. (Might even be the works of the gods.) It was just so damn _cool._

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Toothless sat by a pool of mud, sniffing and familiarizing himself with it. And he sees why. Hiccup pressed a hand to the Birch’s trunk, leaning on to it for support. He kneels down next to a muddy path, discovering a trail of human footsteps disappearing north of where he was.

As Hiccup was about to consult the compass on his arm, a small tremor shook the ground. He was thrown off his balance, falling on his sides, but he was quick to find his footing. What came next were explosive blasts, accompanied by an ear-splitting screech, fading in the distance. He could feel the blood rushing in his ears, his heart pounding against his chest at the numerous possibilities forming in his head, of what this forest had in store for them. Trolls? Trappers? _More_ trolls?

For a second there, the Viking wasn’t sure whether or not it was worth checking out where the ungodly cries were coming from. He wasn’t acquainted with the place around him, so he figured he might as well head back to his side of the world. Toothless thinks they should leave sooner.

And yet, Hiccup chooses to ignore the risk and goes against every logic in his body once the singing returns. He just _had_ to find it somehow.

At first, the Alpha dragon grabbed at him to turn them the other way, trying to get his rider back to their previous route, to no avail. “Can you still hear it, bud?”

His companion could only give him the classic eye roll. “You’re right. We should head home.”

But it was at it again—the voice.

And then the bellowing roars of a dragon.

“Or we could go see what it is first, _then_ we go home. I mean, we just might find the lady dragon for you.” The Night Fury was silent in thought, if his lack of a response was any indication. It takes Toothless a bit to mull over the consequences, of what may or may not happen if they continued north, before he finally gave nothing more than a hesitant grunt.

There’s no harm in looking, even if just for a bit more. What’s the worst that could happen?

“Now, where could she be?” Just as he was about to turn on his heel, he stopped when he found a mountain blocking their way.

Toothless was growing restless, hollering at his rider to go back. If he remembered it correctly, _that_ wasn’t there before.

Moving and shifting amalgamations of boulders arouse from where he once stood, stirring from its slumber, towering over him at its full height. Just what in Thor’s name is _that?_ His jaw goes slack and hangs open at the sight before him, his scream caught in his throat, feeling helplessly small in its presence.

The fact then dawned on him that they were probably responsible for waking the previously dormant giant. And he looked absolutely _pissed off._ Hiccup’s feet were rooted to the spot; mouth still gaping wide in fascination. It had a face, a well working brain, and was very much capable of _movement._ Dread was nowhere to be found on his own face as he stared at it, burning every detail into his head, memorizing it as if it would vanish at any second.

It moves at a sluggish pace, allowing him to stay even for a second longer. The Earth giant picks up the closest object and throws the crushed pieces at them as they came into its line of vision.

Instinctively, Toothless scooped him up in time to save the dazed Viking from being crushed into a pulp. They were in the air again, Toothless furiously flapping his wings, keeping themselves as far away from the golem as possible.

“That sure is something you don’t see everyday, huh, bud?” he exhaled a breath of relief, after narrowly escaping the chunk of debris hurtling towards them.

Worry started to take over the Night Fury, but just as he was about to fly them to shore, sharp icicles whizzed past them. His smile was wiped right off his face.

“You’ve _got_ to be fucking kidding me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I’LL FIX THE SUMMARY DW)
> 
> hello, aren here! thank you for stopping by for a read! really appreciate it!
> 
> now on with the actual note: the events here are set in the events prior to the hidden world, and happens right after frozen 2. about the mist, it’s still there because the enchanted forest is closed off from the rest of the world, except for arendelle.
> 
> anyhow, this was fun to write, with the auroras and everything else. it’s my first time experimenting with my writing styles and such. i do hope you all enjoyed it as much as i did, and, uh
> 
> STAY SAFE AND DO NOT FORGET TO WEAR YOUR MASKS!
> 
> see you guys next update!


	2. dragons are friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined, the fifth spirit followed the rifts and fissures, delving deep into the dense fog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’ve no idea how the whole “first cousin once, twice removed” works, so anna’s and punzie’s kids are cousins and they call elsa their aunt.
> 
> (and while i was editing the last part of this draft, i realized the acronym to this story is LASTS, which sounds kinda cool if you ask me.)
> 
> oh, about their ages, i’ll leave it up to your imaginations. but if we were to use their canon age, hiccup should be 22 or 23-ish and elsa about 25 since her birthday is in december. let’s just say i moved the events of hidden world to take place a year or so later. with that out of the way, thank you guys for the feedback so far!
> 
> (also this is mostly inspired by [There Beneath](https://youtu.be/4HR_9sEGh20) by the Oh Hellos)

The sun had melted away and into the seas, taking its burning light down along with it.

Darkness soon fell over them like a veil, over the kingdom deeply nestled into the fjord, casting shadows against the slumbering homes of its residents.

Lanterns are lit in the streets, with candles and burning furnaces replacing the ever warm light the sun had generously provided. Soft snores filled the nursery, and the two children are finally, _finally_ asleep.

Elsa’s lips curved into a small smile of relief as she each stroked their hair, quietly humming the last tune to her lullaby, the same one her mother used to sing to them when she was their age.

Their relaxed, contented little faces broke her heart as she untangled their arms from her, carefully guiding their fragile heads into the pillow. She then scooped her nephew up, pivoted around to place him in the bed parallel to the one they sat in, before smoothing down his blanket, and sweeping his overgrown bangs out of his forehead to press a gentle kiss on his temple.

“I’ll be back in the morning.” she whispered in promise to the children, leaving their bedside as she neared the windowsill, where the ever present wind awaited for the fellow spirit. She knew she can’t keep leaving the forest, especially after the major quakes that reached even the heart of Arendelle. 

Gale had knocked the window open for her, beckoning her forward and out into the open air, as if her time in Arendelle was up, and she’s needed back in her new home. It revealed the sky to her, the same one that offered her varying scenes and its plethora of changing colors each and every single day.

Tonight, it was a palette of green and blue, illuminating the sets of houses that framed the side of the cliff and in the other, the seas. It was a constant in her life of solitude, a source of comfort she can rely on when she needed it the most.

And it calls her, calls out to her by her name by the window, where Gale directed her towards.

But Elsa preferred the door than out the window, which didn’t require throwing herself off the two-storey tower. It didn’t take long before she was silently walking out of the courtyard, in a hurried pace to avoid getting seen, and she was already on her way to the gate where the water entity cantered in her direction.

“Ready to go home?”

The Nokk lowered its icy head for her to touch and hold, and how she missed it so. The horse in its liquid form froze upon making contact with her hand, allowing her to mount its back, and then they took off.

She threw a quick glance over her shoulders to see the castle shrinking in size the farther they continued, past Oaken’s post, past the outskirts of the kingdom, until she can no longer see the spires and faint outline of its towers, now seemingly tucked behind the tree lines.

At last, Elsa had successfully slipped away from the castle, despite how her sister insisted she stayed to watch over her niece and nephew, who were already dozing off in their room by the moment she left. It was tricky at first, getting them to climb into their beds and _actually_ sleep. It took her a lot of convincing, and made her promise to sing them a lullaby, which she did, and even then, they wanted to play with her until the morning.

The two lovely children could barely stand properly on their two feet, something they’re still trying to master and they’re still a long way before they ever could, but their endless energy did not match that of a two-year old’s. This made Elsa see they _really_ take after their mothers.

Their ever bubbly cousin and her husband, who would be gone by daylight, were visiting to celebrate their nephew’s birthday. The Coronians brought a lot of stories along with them, tall tales about sea serpents and dragon sightings as far as the North seas, and how their ship was nearly capsized en route to Arendellian shores.

Elsa remembers the scratches and scorch marks on the bow of their vessel—there was no denying the charred wood of the taffrail and rips in the high sails that could only be torn by razor sharp claws.

And this invited Anna to retell her brave adventures as a ‘Viking,’ prompting her to wear her sock as her hand prop, and lent Kristoff her hat which functioned as a Viking helmet.

_“Careful! The dragon might eat you!”_

_Kristoff warned them, lying on his back as Anna had tackled him to the floor, hovering over him like a predator. He was about to make a move to switch their positions and change the game, but Anna had beaten him to it with a peck on his lips. And he stays there, defeated on the library’s carpet, tongue hanging out of his mouth._

_“She got me…!”_

_Eirik, Anna’s firstborn, looked between his parents, then to his mother, who had turned her attention to him before she began closing in. His mother snarled and flashed him a toothy grin, sending him waddling around in circles. The small princess came in between them, bravely standing up to Anna’s pretend dragon feet, holding out her open palm. The blonde boy squealed when his mother swooped in to pick her up._

_“No! Bad dwagon!”_

_Anna did her silly impressions of the fire-breathing beasts, growling and gnawing in the air whilst her niece giggled in her arms. They were by the hearth, where Elsa could see the flickering light against their profiles, rising behind them, making it actually look like her flames were really coming out of her mouth. Her son then turned on his heel and ran for help, running towards Elsa._

_(Instead of Rapunzel and Eugene, with the latter rather upset that they weren’t included in their fun.)_

_“Auntie Ewsa!”_

_The Coronian child, Cyra, cried out to the former queen, who was in the middle of a conversation with her parents, exchanging talks about how their domains were fairing down to the anomalies in the Enchanted forest. Elsa couldn’t help but play along, letting Eirik take her hand to lead the way as they came to his cousin’s rescue._

_At once, she released a light flurry at her sister, tipping her over into a pile of snow, which made her let go of her captive. The prince and princess cheered in victory, but her actions baffled Cyra._

_“Can auntie Ewsa do that? To dwagons?”_

_She remembers how the two children stared at her, awed and mesmerized by her powers. The reigning monarch chuckled at their wonderment as she watched them hurry over to her older sibling’s side, as she sat upright from the mound of snow. Anna assured them that she can, that she was more than capable of taking care of a dragon problem if the moment presented itself._

_“You can take down a dragon, right auntie Elsa?”_

_She remembers how Anna turned to her in anticipation, for any form of confirmation, her nephew following her gaze as he looked at her with sparkling eyes._

_“Ice dwagons! Ice! Ice ‘em!” the little prince cheered, punching and pumping his fists in the air, making the Coronian princess join him in his adorable little dance._

_“Dwagons! Fwiyah!”_

_Elsa was saved the trouble of answering the question when her cousin Rapunzel laughed from her seat. “No, sweetie. Dragons aren’t meant to be defeated.”_

_“But why? Why’s that awnty Wapunzul?”_

_She remembers the way her voice softens at the question, and how Eugene practically doubled over laughing at the mispronunciation of his wife’s name._

_“They are to be befriended.”_

The reason why the Fitzherberts reached their fjord and without sinking to the bottom of the ocean was because of their claims to have been protected by the mythical creatures and their… _riders._ As much as she wanted to believe them, she just couldn’t bring herself to accept the absurdity of it all without ever seeing one for herself.

And Elsa couldn’t wrap her head around her words, at how impossible it sounded. Dragons and friends _shouldn’t_ be used in the same sentence, and she had every reason why. First, they _don’t_ exist. Second, it just made no sense. They’re destructive by nature. They spew fire. Fire is dangerous. Much like her powers, to an extent, it has the capacity to actually _hurt_ people, and the list just goes on.

In her conclusion, dragons _cannot_ be friends with humans. It was simply illogical, at least to her, that is.

Either way, she had nothing to worry about. They mainly reside in fiction, she would remind herself, within the crisp pages and old texts of a storybook, where they can never hurt anyone. Mere products of one’s active imaginations found only in the confines of the mind. The beasts must have been used as a cover up for a pirate raid, or for when they were caught between enemy fire, and little Cyra was far too young to have understood the act of violence done upon them.

 _But how would any of that explain the shred in the sails?_ Elsa mused as she tried to piece it out on her own. It might have been just a big coincidence that the tears resembled that of a talon’s. It _must_ be. Or perhaps she’s looking into it too much, and she’s losing her head over something so trivial. Which she _shouldn’t._

Elsa found herself falling hard on her side, having been abandoned by the Nokk who all but melted into a shallow puddle of water beneath her. She muttered a silent curse, hissing in pain. The soil was damp and cool against the icy fabric of her dress, dirt already clinging to her intricately crafted gown. Well, that’s going to take a while to wash off.

So much for going home to the settlements then.

When she was on her feet again, dusting off her muddied skirt, cracks spidered and erupted from the surface she was standing on. Strange as it was, it seemed to lead further into the unknown side of the forest, where a mysterious fog seeped between its trees.

This was probably it. Where the source of all her troubles was coming from, the place she’d been itching to investigate for the past week. Determined, the fifth spirit followed the rifts and fissures, delving deep into the dense fog. And she intends to put an end to whatever caused the unnatural tremors that rippled their lands.

Narrow bands of moonlight cut through the thick mist, offering a small source of light to travelers and nocturnal creatures alike.

The lush greens had shriveled into thin, crumbling leaves that fell away at the slightest whisper of the breeze. The trees scored the sky like twisted fingers reaching out to the heavens, its branches almost bare and naked, which hinted at the beginnings of winter.

The Snow Queen strolled the secluded woods by herself, throwing glances over her shoulders every now and again. She couldn’t enjoy her strolls these days without the unsettling feeling of eyes watching her as she goes, without the paranoia of blindly stumbling upon a gaping hole out of nowhere. It was more of a nightly patrol at this point, as she meticulously surveyed the area for any crevices that could appear right under her feet and give away at any second.

The aftershocks left parts of the ground split into a space wide enough for a human to fit in. She was there when the earth first opened its mouth to pull the trees unfortunate enough to fall right into it. (How she wished she could have done something about it.)

The disembodied voice, the one from Attohalan, once again reaches out to her, and she heeds its message.

It overcomes her with a sense of calm, quelling her worries about her shortcomings, about how she was unable to save a part of its forest. The quakes were beyond her control, it assured her. It wasn’t her fault, much less anyone else’s.

“I hear you.” she replied, pressing her eyes closed.

A heavenly hymn pours from her mouth, which became progressively louder in volume as Gale carried her singing across the expanse of the lands. She echoed the voice only she hears in her head, returning its calls, letting it know she heard, and she knows it’s there. It filled the night with a soothing lullaby, the softest melody she can possibly make, accompanied by the chirping of crickets, and the occasional rustle of the wind.

And then, the music suddenly stops.

The night becomes uncharacteristically quiet; not a single sound could be heard, its inhabitants either deep in sleep, or far too occupied with something else. The earth beneath her moved and groaned, and she could sense its anxiousness from the way it shifts and tense up each passing second, in each step she took to get to the center of its woods.

The world stilled for a moment, and Elsa could only wonder why.

Elsa realized too late that it wasn’t a question she wanted answered. There was a deafening shriek enough to reduce her to her knees, that she had to cover her ears from its piercing whistle. She was too overwhelmed by its cries to have felt the brief rumbling in the ground. It seemed to be coming from close by.

The very second it ended, Elsa sprang to her feet. The winds picked up, but she was too focused on bolting in the direction Gale had pushed her to notice the patch of burnt dirt, and how the foliage crunch under the soles of her sandals.

What captured her attention instead was the shadow in motion, covering up the moon as it ascended into the sky in a frenzied panic. It was a large and winged creature, its figure dark as the night, its scales catching light from the moon.

No, that can’t be. Dragons don’t… _exist._

Elsa can’t believe what she was seeing. There was a man, helplessly attached to the beast, its fresh catch most likely. And she was not about to let it get away. Her mind raced to form a plan to save him, separate him from the menace, as there wasn’t any time to lose. _Think, Elsa, think!_

The man yelped, and, without a second thought, her hand involuntarily shot a stream of icicles out of shock. Her magic narrowly hit the human clinging onto it, onto the devil.

Its glowing eyes immediately found hers. It resembled the pictures in Anna’s favorite stories. Ones she heard of in her fairy tales.

And only in fairy tales had Hiccup heard about her—maidens, magical beings. _Goddesses._

Hiccup didn’t think he’d get to see one this close in his lifetime. He didn’t think he’d actually see one _at all._

A rush of adrenaline pumped through his veins as he hauled his weight with his hand to climb back on his saddle. “Thanks back there, bud,” he smiled gratefully, panting heavily and feeling the ache and strain in his shoulders and arms from the effort it took to get there. “Now let’s see who we’re dealing with.”

They banked slowly to the left, catching a glimpse of their attacker. Clad in an almost pale white gown and disheveled hair, the woman slipped into a defensive stance. She looks like she knows what she’s doing; a much more competent contender perfectly capable of taking them down than the slow-moving boulder they recently encountered.

Her eyes met with his, and Hiccup found himself out of breath again.

Never had he heard his heartbeat _this_ clear in his ears before. Either from his growing fear of dying, or from the sight of _her._ The mere image of the lady made his breathing stop and Hiccup finds himself in a familiar situation. It wasn’t the same kind when he’d been faced with a giant, no. The feeling was something else, something he couldn’t quite place yet.

The temperature dropped at a rapid rate while he was too absorbed in his thoughts. His eyes are back on her. She looked like the type to be reasoned with.

“We don’t mean any harm! We’re just about to leave—!”

His sentence was literally cut off by fragments of rocks catapulted at the pair. The giants followed her example and joined the party. _Great._ She not only controls the forces of nature, she was also buddies with the hunk of boulders from earlier.

She extended an arm and instructed them to hold back, as if to tell them that this was a fight she had to face alone. He was slightly relieved when the golems obeyed her request, but that didn’t mean this was all over with. It became apparent to him that they still weren’t welcomed, and she made it plenty obvious by the onslaught of ice and snow.

Okay, maybe she’s not the type to trust a stranger’s words on a whim. Especially when said stranger was on the back of a dragon. He can’t really blame her on that part. He’d probably do the same if he were in her shoes, but the violence was _really_ uncalled for. 

Her movements were careful and calculated, and she was light on her feet, dancing a dance only she knew; twisting and turning, expertly deflected Toothless’ shots with an impenetrable wall of ice. It was almost impossible to create a distraction, as her eyes were solely trained on them.

They were now locked in a deadly match of a snowball fight, but there’s a fun little twist to it: instead of soft snowballs, there were blunt spikes meant to _impale_ a person. And that person was about to become Hiccup, had he not veered to the side. It grazed the fabric of his sleeve, but it was very shallow, and fortunately, for him, it didn’t bleed.

The Alpha dragon circled them around her, reeling back, his mouth charging up for a nasty plasma blast at the boulder, the dragon completely acting on his own. When they least expected it, the ice witch gets in his line of fire, to _protect_ the giant.

“No, _no, no,_ Tooth—! _Don’t!”_

With a swift tug, he managed to redirect the ball of flame into the stream, where it blew off a portion of the bank, and the body of water lashed angrily at the nearby trees, slowly coming to life. The lady didn’t look too happy about it. She followed it with her gaze, then back to him, now pinning him under a murderous glare.

Hiccup frowned at the incoming frozen projectiles aimed their way. “Oh, come on!”

She didn’t give them a chance to react, sending another rain of hail, with Toothless already busy dodging every barrage of ice and snow she had to give. He braced himself for impact, crossed his arms over his face, closing his eyes, preparing himself for something that never came.

It’s as if it had missed its mark, and yet it was there, stopping at an invisible barrier a couple of inches shy of Hiccup’s face. It’s flimsy and fleeting, the harmless cluster of snow dissipating almost instantly in the air, as if it had already served its purpose as a warning. Jagged breaths left Hiccup’s parted lips, his heart beating erratically, his mind unable to comprehend what happened just then.

When they didn’t seem to leave and were completely unfazed by her display of power, she casted another spell at them in a rapid-fire succession. Toothless shields him from the next round of pelts, which in turn freezes the tips of his wings, running down to the spine of his back.

“Toothless!”

Coated in a thick layer of frost, Toothless’ wing becomes heavy and stiff, weighing them down, making it all the more difficult to escape. Toothless struggled to keep them in the air, from ever touching the ground where they’re vulnerable the most, where they’ll be cornered in a matter of seconds. The woman had the upper hand here, with the rock golems standing by at her command, waiting for an opening, for the right moment to strike them down, and they just _can’t_ afford that risk. Not in _this_ state.

The Night Fury was doing the best he could to shake and shrug the hardened ice off as they were spiraling down in their descent. Hiccup tried to steer them clear through the branches and leaves that swatted at their faces, his hands still gripping on the saddle to secure their landing. It wasn’t long until he completely lost control of flight, but they didn’t fall just yet.

They were now at the mercy of the winds.

Toothless battled against the tornado with all the strength he could muster, his functioning wing cutting and thrashing against the violent force, refusing to succumb so easily. But staying airborne was no longer an option at this point.

The oxygen was becoming dangerously thin, Hiccup had noticed, and it became increasingly difficult to breathe for both the rider and his dragon. Even their assailant was brought to her knees, gasping for air, for _anything_ to fill her lungs with precious oxygen.

And yet, with a single blow, she managed to hit Toothless, knocking him out of the skies, sealing their fates. Hiccup could only wait for the inevitable crash. The unconscious Alpha collided against the trees in their way, splinters flying everywhere, with a final Birch to break their momentum.

And they’re on the ground again, just as she had intended. She had them right where she wanted them. Hiccup rolled off of his saddle, his mind spinning, and he dropped flat on the mossy forest floor.

Growing frost crept up until it gradually encased the Night Fury, finding themselves in the same predicament as they had in the past. The rider numbly picked himself up, ignoring how his muscles screamed at him in protest, limping over to the dragon passed out next to him. He tries to remove the ice, scraping and clawing at it with his bare hands, in an attempt to free him and stop the spread from fully enveloping his body. “Come on, bud, we gotta get out of here—”

Dread coursed through his veins when he heard the advancing footsteps, watching as she clumsily shuffled towards him. He stands his ground, throwing himself in front of Toothless, his hands firm on the hilt of his sword.

“We’ll go! Just-Just leave him out of this!”

When she meets his eyes again, she sees desperation in them; the man going as far as threatening her with his blade to buy them enough time to escape. But her goal remains in her mind. _Save him. Save him from the monster_ —

_“They are to be befriended.”_

The words of her cousin lingered in her mind for a bit longer than she would have liked, giving Hiccup the opportunity to use it to change the tide. Gas leaked from the pommel of his hilt, and with a click of his lighter, fire sparked and lit up the perimeter in a burst of flames.

His attacker was forced to jump back, failing to detect the unstable surface she was on.

Soon, a strange hue of flames ignited the forest in a color of pink and magenta, forcing him to a corner. He swears, he’s facing down with a goddess at this point. Her feats were _unmatched._ There was no logical explanation for how ice sprang and shot out of her palm, as well as the summoning the opposite element at her will.

Oh, the gods must really hate him alright. This time, for sure, and all… _this_ proves his point.

A tiny ball of fire bounded on his shoulder pad, blazing across the sleeve of his arm where it raced down to his sword, prompting him to drop his weapon, where it clattered to his feet along with the pinkish flames. Hiccup frantically patted down his arm in an attempt to put out the fire.

After he’d extinguished the flames, he hurriedly reached down to pick up his retractable sword, only to find the sorceress teetering on the edge of a newly formed sinkhole, and was on the verge of completely losing her balance.

The land behind her had collapsed in on itself, opened its mouth, threatening to swallow her whole.

Hiccup knew what he had to do.

In a heartbeat, Hiccup dropped his sword in favor of grabbing her wrist, just in time before the pit could fully engulf her. The contact upon her hand made his skin tingle, feeling extremely cold against his own as he pulled her to safety. The two toppled over each other, where they were both sprawled on the earthy floor.

Neither of them made any movement. Not that they didn’t want to, but they literally weren’t _able to_. There was a crushing pressure that strained them and kept them from doing anything, suffocating them out of breath.

His body and limbs failed to cooperate with his every plea. He could have used the intervention of the winds to get Toothless and bail, but they were both too weakened to have done anything about it. Until it stopped, until she had recovered, extending a shaking hand towards him.

Yep, he’s over. _Done for._

Hiccup can practically see his life flashing before his eyes. His vision was beginning to flicker and fade, and the last thing he saw was her approaching his crumpled figure. For a final time, Hiccup hears the voice, her smooth voice talking to her non-existent companion.

“I already had him, Gale. Why did you stop me?” she said to no one in particular. She was met with a gust of wind, hitting her upside her head as if to scold her for her actions. “Okay, fine. I get it, I get it.”

Her hand hovered over his fresh burns, and a cool sensation prickled his skin, sending shivers down his spine. The searing pain subsided, if only for a little bit, but it’s still raw and still very much there. He’ll be an icicle in no time, no doubt about it. Hiccup’s eyes flutter shut, letting the cold consume him, accepting his doom with open arms.

This was definitely not a good way to go out.

”Gale, take them to my castle.”

Was the last thing Hiccup heard before he’s out cold.

For the next couple of seconds in and out of his dwindling consciousness, he felt his body being lifted off the ground. The air was strong and thick, as if he was being literally carried away by the winds.

And then, the voice was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok sO this is my favorite piece i have worked on so far! it feels so refreshing to really get back into writing and putting some (literal) sweat and effort into it. (the summer heat here is killing me¡!)
> 
> sorry for making you guys wait for a full month! i was so caught up in my other plot bunnies, that i neglected writing this chapter (i still have a couple of drafts to go.) thank you for your patience!
> 
> and, uh, the next part will cover about the sinkholes and the hulderfolk. spoiler: it has something to do with the nattmara, but we really won’t be revolving around that idea. tbh, i was surprised there’s a book about it, (frozen ii: a forest of shadows) while i was doing my research about the hulderfolk.
> 
> anyways, reviews are always welcomed and i'd love to hear what you guys think!


	3. like you, like me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did he end up in her castle made of glass? Is that ice? And why is everything else so beautiful? (Including her?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Update** : I split the original Chapter 2 into two parts! I noticed I removed important parts of the chapter, which didn’t make sense without it, so I filled in a couple of gaps in the revision. (So, this was the second part to Chapter 2.)
> 
> Also, I love how the Frozen team named the Northuldra, well Northuldra. It's North and Huldra, so it basically means they are the Northern wardens of the forest. (It's cool now that I think about it.) I also love the concept of the Hidden World located in between the crust of the Earth, and how it can just spawn out of anywhere so long as it's connected through ducts and tunnels.
> 
> When Frozen 2 premiered on TV while I was writing this, I just noticed that there were shallow holes (not the rock giants' footprints) where Olaf nearly fell into. I think it ties in well with the idea that the Hidden World is underground and may have caused the land to sink after earthquakes in the last chapter—a nice fit for this storyline! (For chapter 2 as well.)
> 
> Okay, I'm done with my ramblings! Thanks again for the amazing feedback, the favorites, follows and reviews—they mean the world to me!
> 
> Enjoy!

When he came to, there was a soft material pooling beneath his back, a blanket of furs tucking him in. As he regains full consciousness, it falls just below his chin, and much to his confusion, no one was there. Only the smallest brush of the winds.

Hiccup sat upright, his arms to his sides, with his elbows propping him up. Last thing he remembers was their graceless landing into the earthy floor, and everything else was a blur. The only thing he could hear at the moment were the reduced ringing in his ears, and ragged, uneven breathing—probably his.

He felt for his chest, checked for any of his pulses to make extra sure he was alive, and not have any part of him turned into ice. Good to know his limbs were still intact and none of his parts were frozen solid. So far, so good.

Soundly asleep to his side was Toothless, who didn’t stir when he placed a hand over his snout. He stayed relatively close to him, rather protectively, keeping him warm. At least he’s there,  _ alive  _ and all in one piece. He’ll still have to make up for losing his dragon girlfriend. The rest of the events that evening were lost on him, and it takes him a while to process his surroundings.

His brows furrowed as he grit his teeth in pain. He tried to recall as much as he could, but his head throbbed horribly, as if threatening to split open his skull at any minute. There was also a dull aching in his left arm, sore and stiff. He was beginning to think that not only had he slipped from his saddle, he also managed to bruise his limbs from the impact they’ve made with the hard, solid ground. Though, he didn’t seem to mind it as much when he got to his feet.

Glass-like walls rose to the sky, and he could see the pink dawn from the crystalline balcony. He let his hands trace the railing, unbothered by the chills it brought, something he’d been long since accustomed to for the last couple of years in Berk. It was oddly endearing as he takes it all in, seemingly lost and entranced by its beauty. From where he stands, he could see the charming view the castle had to offer. (Not the usual vista Berk had, but it was acceptable enough.)

In the far off distance, the sun reared its head and smiled, spreading its warmth across the frozen landscape. It was breathtaking, as it literally took his breath away by simply  _ being  _ there.

As he was about to lean forward to peer down at what else lies below, with his hands reaching out to find purchase on the railings, a sharp pain shot up his arm before he could fully register it. Allfather almighty, that  _ hurt. _ A startled groan emitted from his throat, loud enough to bounce against the walls.

The sound of heels clicked on the polished floors, ripping his gaze away from the snowy peaks that seemed to sparkle the longer he stared at it.

In an instant, Toothless bolted in its direction with glee. He turned to where he heard it was coming from, only to find the woman now making her way towards him in a slow, measured pace. The very same one from last night’s exchange of fire. Well, in this case, ice  _ and  _ fire.

Then, there was silence. Not a single word was spoken between them, and neither were planning to break the silence, as they were clearly too busy observing each other.

He studied her face, taking in her features, and she pretty much does the same. She would have been cuter if she was smiling, he mused, but the way she scowled and scrutinized him wasn’t the least bit appealing. It would’ve been nice to know if she wasn’t going to hurt him or anything.

There wasn’t a hint of warmth or kindness in those eyes, the ones he was hoping to see and find in them. He still wasn’t certain as she was glaring at him as if he was some sort of threat to her very being. He could see how hard she tried to pull off an intimidating stare, but all it does is throw him off his guard. Hiccup, on the other hand, gawked at her like a fool.

And it was taking  _ forever  _ for her to talk.

While Hiccup was still working on organizing his thoughts and how he would ask her, he was clearly at a loss. Where was he? Was he dead?  _ Who  _ exactly is she?

How did he end up in her castle made of glass? Is that ice? And why is everything else so  _ beautiful?  _ (Including her?)

Another eternity passes, and neither of them made any attempts at making any forms of conversation. Their stares were unbroken, fixated on one another, watching, processing their every movement.

Until there were tiny vibrations, shaking him to the core.  _ Another  _ giant makes itself known, marching its way through the only entrance there is, letting itself in.

“What is  _ that?!”  _ Hiccup could feel the panic rapidly rising in his chest, his eyes growing alarmingly wide. His body grew taut, his panic doubling as it drew closer. He retreats to the balcony doors, the mere sight of the snow golem driving him back as far against the railings.

The behemoth roared incoherent words and evidently struggled with basic speech. But Hiccup could make out the words  _ bad man,  _ and…  _ hurt? _

“Oh,  _ no, no, no,  _ it’s okay, he won’t hurt you. He’s not going to hurt anyone here.” she assured him in the softest manner possible, holding up her arms to come between him and the snow giant, but her anxious tone failed to convince anyone. Much to his shock, the animated snowman nodded slowly before retreating from whence he came. Hiccup thinks her words were meant for the colossal block of ice rather than  _ him. _

“Did you just—that, that snow  _ thing—” _

Finally, she looks at him with a nervous chuckle. “It’s fine. He’s a, he’s my… son?”

Hiccup’s face contorted into a mix of horror and confusion, wondering how its existence was even remotely _ possible. _

“I’m sorry, that came out wrong,” the flustered ice-wielder tried her best to collect herself, forming the correct words in her head.  _ Son  _ might not have been the appropriate word for it, but it’s the closest thing she had in mind to describe her relationship with her dearest Marshmallow. “I sort of…  _ created  _ him with my powers, if that helps explain things.”

Before Hiccup even had the chance to part his lips and ask how in  _ Hel  _ did she manage to conjure such a massive creature, she raised her hands only to offer a vague explanation. “It’s much more complicated than you think.”

“Uh, right,” he cleared his throat, not wanting to know the details of how it came to be. He had no plans of staying longer than intended. He already had enough things to think about, and another migraine coming up. “Where exactly am I? And how did I end up here—”

Wincing, Hiccup belatedly noticed the distinct stinging that traveled up his arm when he gestured to the balcony for emphasis. His burnt skin was wrapped in an improvised cloth bandage, his sleeve taken off, and he’s surprised he only realized he had the injury just now.

The woman then looked at him hesitantly, her face mirroring his own pained expression; her icy glare had all but melted away. There was a genuine hint of worry in her voice when she spoke again. “Oh—right, you… you’re hurt. Let me—”

“No, it’s fine. We kind of got on the wrong foot here,” he bent down to pat at his ‘foot’ and the lack thereof. “And really, it’s fine. You’d be surprised to know I have a  _ really _ high level tolerance for pain.”

He lied. He couldn’t exactly tell her the truth right away, afraid that he might inconvenience her more if he did. Hiccup was already looking forward to flying home as soon as he could. Besides, she might bid him bad luck if she wished, so he wanted to flee while they were still on good terms. He trespassed into her lands and destroyed a part of the river, after all.

Inhaling a sharp breath at the sight of the fake limb, Elsa visibly flinched. “Please, allow me to apologize for my misconduct. I’m—”

“No, wait, let me guess,” he lifts his hands and stops her there. He wanted to get this out of the way first before they formally introduced themselves. He needed to know if he was fit to enter Valhalla after the whole ordeal, find out if this woman in front of him  _ was  _ an actual Valkyrie before he could get himself into further trouble. “You don’t happen to be a Valkyrie— I mean,  _ are _ you? You know, an angel, maybe…?”

_ A Valkyrie? An angel…?  _ She stepped back, startled by his comment, but shortly recomposed herself.

Maybe Valkyrie is a bit of a stretch. She was too wingless and lacked the proper armor to fit the description. The magic was only a plus. That, and he’s pretty sure he’s not dead yet. So he waited for a couple of more seconds for the long awaited answer.

Heat quickly spread to her cheeks as she flushed at the implication. “Pardon?”

“Or a goddess, or…?” he ventured carefully, watching as her every single expression changed, afraid that he might have offended her. A goddess was not, in any shape or form, an insult; it’s quite the opposite actually, so he should have nothing to worry about. Right? Elsa didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Or the punchline afterwards. (If he  _ was _ trying to either directly or indirectly hit on her.)

“I’m neither of those, unfortunately,” she replied in the politest way she could. “I only protect the Enchanted forest and keep the peace.”

“Thank the gods.” he muttered under his breath, soon recognizing the shame creeping up in his chest.

Hiccup didn’t know how to live with himself, with the fact that he nearly blasted a (not so) defenseless maiden off the face of the Earth. She was no Valkyrie, or a goddess, and she wasn’t any regular mortal, either.

Keeper of the forest, a guardian, a demigoddess. What she is really shouldn’t matter, and what does matter is she’s human (although just  _ partly _ human) and in a way, much like him.  _ Was _ what he liked to think anyway.

Whatever she was, Hiccup  _ prayed  _ to the gods that she was one of the benevolent ones, merciful enough to spare him from any punishments, and would be so kind to allow him to leave in peace.

He’s unexpectedly calm about it, Elsa noted. Last time she exposed her powers, she was treated like a monster, a witch. She’s quite glad he doesn’t share the same views as those who betrayed her. It’s as if it’s a natural occurrence for him, a privilege even, to bask in her presence. To be fair, he’s had his share of experiences with dragons, so she supposed someone like her would no longer come off as a shock to him.

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask me?”

“Trust me, I’ve got  _ loads _ of them—”

Pink flames combusted by her ankle, and it was only then did he notice the tiny amphibian half the size of his palm leap on her shoulder. He gave him a hard time back in the woodlands, the little monster. “If you don’t mind me asking right now, but uh, is that your dragon?”

“Oh, you mean Bruni?” of all creatures, a dragon? That made a lot more sense with regards to his abilities, as much as she hates to admit it. But he wasn’t nearly as destructive or as fearsome like most dragons are, that’s for sure. And yet, Toothless appeared to have taken a liking to the pocket-sized lizard, spewing and shooting miniature blasts at the ceiling, which encouraged the salamander to do the same, but on a much smaller scale. That’s enough proof for Hiccup.

In all seriousness, Hiccup stared at her in anticipation, as if waiting to hear his guess was correct, that Bruni  _ was _ a dragon all along.

An airy giggle makes its way past her lips, unable to hold it down all while shaking her head. Hiccup flushed a bright red at the sound of her voice, though clueless as to why she did so. The confused crease on his brows never failed to amuse her.

Dabbing at the tears from the corner of her eyes, Elsa scoffed at the ridiculous notion, Bruni now cupped in her hands. “He’s actually a salamander. He’s like me, in a way.”

“Like… you?” The look of bewilderment clearly showed on his face, his brows in a tight knit as he contemplatively tilted his head to the side.

_ How, exactly?  _ In what conceivable reality is a salamander and a human in any way alike?

“I’m what some might call…” there was a small pause, her smile tight and widening, as if trying to suppress the urge to laugh. “The fifth spirit.”

A spirit.

A fucking.  _ Spirit. _

He just  _ had  _ to go and pick a fight with a spirit. Even better. This doesn’t come with a curse now, does it?

Oh, the gods surely, most  _ definitely  _ hate him.

“Are you alright?”

“No. I’m a Viking…?” he replied, having absolutely no idea what to say or do. What’d he just say?

Hiccup caught himself staring blankly into nowhere in particular, where he was consumed by his thoughts. So, her being a… _spirit_ might be why he was so enamored by her, that he couldn’t find it in himself to speak properly the first time. He’s under her magical influence. _A_ _love spell._

That would mean… she knows everything else, everything there is to know about fair folk, the secrets to magic, or even the workings of the world. His enchantment theory was thrown out the window when unanswered questions from his childhood about the old folktales suddenly came to mind. The young chief could barely hide the excitement on his features.

“What else should I know? Do trolls exist? I mean, they always did, but—”

“Yes, they do.”

His eyes grew more with a kindling curiosity. He was always out troll hunting by himself when he was only a boy, but was never fortunate enough to see one. Now he’s here, now he finally had a chance to meet them in person. “Can I see them? Not  _ now,  _ but… do they turn into stone in daylight?”

“They  _ literally  _ are rolling stones,” she informed him, though uncertain how she would answer the turning to stone part. “But we only ever meet at night.”

“Do they have nine heads?  _ Huge?  _ With lots of gold stashed in their mountain—?”

“No, no, and no.”

“—Steal our socks? Have a particular preference for the left ones?”

Elsa fervently shook her head at the silly suggestions. “They do like to consider themselves as…  _ love experts.” _

Too bad he had to hunt them and drive them away when he was a kid, but it was nice to know trolls aren’t monsters as Gobber made them out to be. He isn’t too upset with it, though. Gobber and his father, and his forefathers, and their fathers  _ do  _ have a tendency to exaggerate the smallest of details. Blowing things out of proportions  _ was _ a thing in the past to embellish their mighty deeds, and it still  _ is _ to this day.

“How about the Nokk?”

“Nokk, wh—”

“Who’s there?” he grinned, waiting for her to process the terrible joke. She might have taken offense for the sudden interruption, but  _ this,  _ this was an exception.

“It doesn’t even work that way!” Elsa snorted, and soon, the two burst into laughter.

Oh, he, Kristoff and Anna will get along just fine. Her sister and little Eirik would go crazy when they see him—a living, breathing  _ Viking.  _ And she couldn’t wait for him to meet her family.

Muscles no longer tensed, and his chest loosening, Hiccup finally relaxed as they managed to maintain a friendly air between them. His shoulders sagged in relief knowing that he wasn’t in any danger anymore.

“While we’re on the subject of all things magical,” Hiccup began, a shade of red dusting over his cheeks after recovering from his own joke, but barely any sober. “Am I or am I not under a love spell right now? And if  _ not,  _ how would I know the difference?”

His words left his mouth faster than he could think, revealing his developing attraction towards her, a sentiment that even  _ he  _ wasn’t fully aware of. The woman didn’t seem to have picked up on it, fairly oblivious to it herself. Or she at least  _ pretended _ to be oblivious for his sake. He can never know for sure. “What gave you the idea?”

“You’re a spirit, so I figured you’d…” he trailed off in thought, his question now slowly sinking in. Did he just outright ask her that? In her face? Hiccup feels as though he’s the stupidest, most thickheaded person there is to have ever lived.

Bruni glanced between the two before clambering down Elsa’s palm to accompany his new friend, picking up where they last left off in their little games.

“I am, but I don’t do _love_ _spells_. I mostly do… this,” Elsa walked forward grinning, whilst her hand conjured swirls of snow in the air, where she joined him by the railings overlooking the fjord. Her magic dissolves the very second she pressed her palms flat on the smooth surface of the handrail. “My job is to keep the balance of nature in check, along with my sister, who in turn, sees to the human side.”

Hiccup’s eyes were fixated on her the whole time, astounded and out of breath the whole time. When she didn’t immediately meet his eyes, her own sweeping and searching in the distance, he followed her gaze into a far away palace, peacefully settled between the cliff side. It’s as if it was a floating castle, much like Berk, surrounded by the endless stretch of the sea. It was magnificent. Familiar. Kind of reminds him of his home.

“There’s nothing else I know beyond that.  _ Yes, _ I’m the fifth spirit, but…” but of what? Aside from being the fifth, of the ice and snow, of course. What was she truly?

“Maybe you’re a different kind of spirit? A Rå?” the man blurted out of nowhere.

Her trance was broken when the question reached her ears. “Excuse me?” 

“A huldra, maybe. Keeper of the forest, has magical powers,” Hiccup scratched at his stubble, trying to piece things together in order to make a sense out of his ramblings. “Except for the seductress part, I suppose.”

“I never thought of that before,” she turned to look at him, taking complete interest in the suggestion. “Not since I discovered I was the fifth spirit. I was too caught up with the voice to know.”

“The voice, yeah. It just…  _ pulls  _ you in, then next thing you know, you’re being attacked by a bunch of crazy spirits,” his cheeks were slightly turning a bright red again as he sheepishly rubbed his nape in embarrassment. He was  _ dumbfounded  _ when he first laid his eyes upon her, which could have cost them their lives had it not been for Toothless, who practically did all the work and saving for them. “You were amazing back there, powerful, and, and… I honestly thought Toothless and I were going to die at that moment.”

His face blanched and his eyes went round abashedly when a pang of hunger hit him, his stomach producing growls and other ungodly noises.

“I apologize for my attack on your person last night. Shall we discuss it over breakfast?” she proposed, a smile now gracing her lips. The offer was inviting, and he couldn’t see how he could refuse. Hiccup can already pick up the faintest smell of baked bread and many other edible goods wafting in the air.

His mouth watered at the prospect of eating breakfast. Would it be magical as well? Does it taste just as good as any human food? Or will it still be actual human food? Not that he actually had a choice or anything. Regardless, he would be grateful for whatever meal it was, be it magical or not.

“I prepared a feast for the two of you. Expect there’ll be more arriving,” she leads him down another floor. “Unless, of course, your dragon doesn’t  _ prefer _ animal meat over…” Elsa cleared her throat, not wanting to finish the sentence.

“Fish should be good,” he declared as he followed her down the elaborately carved stairs, his hand trailing down the banister, admiring the detail and work put into its architecture. “And beef, if you have any.”

With a careful nod, they resumed walking. The moment they passed through the threshold, there was an ornate table made out of solid ice laid out for them; a pitcher of water by their sets of wine glass, brimmed with fruits, pastry, and a variety of meat in a silver platter all warm and fresh out of the oven. Though, that won’t be the case for long, considering they were in the middle of the  _ glacier _ of a palace.

The ice-wielder soon fabricated a set of chairs for them to sit on, each on the opposite ends. She occupied her seat, and urged him to do the same.

“On behalf of the spirits, I apologize for our rather…  _ cold _ treatment on you and your company,” she began, conjuring an icy goblet for him to drink on. “I hope we could make it up to you somehow.”

“We _did_ blast off a chunk of the river. Angered the forest and all.” Hiccup was well aware of their own faults, and he admits they were never really granted the permission to go slip into their lands and make a mess of it.

“Which I hope was not the cause of the tremors and earthquakes.” she added, taking another lengthy sip out of her own cup.

“Earth…? What? No, we just happened to pass by. We couldn’t have caused it. Right, bud?” he sought for his dragon’s attention, to confirm their innocence to the act in which she accused them of. Toothless only blinked at him, casually rolling his shoulders as a form of shrug.

With furrowed brows, she pondered his answers. “If you didn’t cause it, then…”

“Toothless over here thought it would be a good idea following a wild dragon,” the Night Fury sent him a sharp glare at his partial truth. “We ended up following her here, so there’s that.”

“So the wild dragon  _ must _ be behind all the strange occurrences these past few weeks.” was Elsa’s conclusion.

“She kind of is. We’re in the clear now, bud,” he beamed at his dragon, beckoning him to join them at the table to eat his portions. In reluctance, Toothless warily circled around Elsa, softly whiffing her then hobbled over to his rider offering him a handful of beef. Hiccup rubbed his dragon’s muzzle the second his toothless jaw clamped on the meat, who then ran off behind his rider to be with his new amphibian playmate. “You two already made friends, huh?”

“When I was thawing the leftover frost, he woke up  _ horrified _ to see me,” which was understandable, with all things considered. She then gestured to a sunken space in the floor the size of Toothless. “I let Bruni do the rest of the melting.  _ They _ instantly became friends.”

“Yeah, I can definitely see that.” he replied, taking a bite out of the piece of bread he found closest to him after he saw her pick out the same bread. He couldn’t help but watch her every movement, for fear he might embarrass himself or offend her in any way. She doesn’t seem to mind his gaze, being too occupied on keeping an eye on the growing fire their companions were making.

Elsa glanced at the two creatures in a corner where they held a contest on who could make the biggest fire. She keeps a cautious eye on them, prepared to dispel any of the flames before they could boil and liquefy the entire ice palace with them still in it. And Hiccup could pick up on her unease.

“From the looks of it, you’ve never seen a dragon before,” was Hiccup’s guess, watching as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, staying a good distance from the Night Fury who seemed to ignore her for the most part. He looked at her again. “Have you?”

“I mean, it’s a lot to take in,” along with the knowledge that there might be  _ thousands _ more of them out there. She was still slowly coming to terms that dragons are _ , _ in fact,  _ real _ and roam outside the contents of their storybooks. “The only places I see or hear about them are in books, pictures, and… so on.”

(In her sister’s puppet shows as well, she would have liked to add.)

“They don’t usually go for colder climates, like any reptile would,” he pointed out, slipping out of his chair to welcome his dragon with open arms when he was finished scarfing down his slab of meat. “They’re just big stupid lizards who get easily scared. Like we humans do when we’re faced with something we don’t understand.”

Elsa lets his words sit with her. She and this… Toothless weren’t so different after all. She watched as he licked the leather-clad man, covering him in coats of slobber, to which Hiccup whined something along the lines of ‘that doesn’t wash out.’

A smile subconsciously forms on her face, which Hiccup quickly took notice of. “Here, he won’t bite,” he beckoned her over, and she got off her seat and, gently, he reached for her hand—which was inexplicably warm this time—hovering it over Toothless’ snout. He holds his own hand to his snout, letting Toothless lean into his palm. “See?”

When her hand came into contact with the surface of his scales, she could feel the Night Fury relaxing (and  _ purring), _ then shivering upon her icy touch. He recoiled and sneezed sideways where an unfortunate Hiccup had been standing. Thick and fluid mucus fly at the leather-clad viking, earning him a groan of disgust “Now it’ll never wash out.”

“Oh my…” Elsa covered her mouth with her hand, concealing her amused grin. She then cleared her throat as she watched the distressed rider wiping the goo off his chest armor. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

“No, I’ll just— yeah, lemme get this off first, and—” while Hiccup was awkwardly picking and grabbing at the slimy mucus that seemed to stick to his fingers the more he tried to pry it off, Elsa flicked her wrist and froze the gooey material, letting it fall off on its own. “…I guess that could work too.”

She shook her head with a smile, promptly returning to her seat. “I assume you have more questions in mind.”

“Yeah. Is everything alive in the woods?”

“That’s… one way of putting it.”

“Are there more of you?”

“My being the fifth spirit already implies that there  _ are _ others like me.”

“Was the Nokk one of you? Was it the river?”

“I believe so?” he wasn’t exactly wrong on that, though not necessarily right; the Nokk takes any form it wished, meaning it wasn’t only limited to rivers, but his guess was as close as it could be.

“So that’s what it was.” the chieftain said in realization, the memory of the river resurfacing, where it cracked and whipped at the hapless trees in its way. If she was the ice elemental, the Nokk was water, Bruni fittingly for the fire, the golems, well, the earth… What was the last one?

“Gale here says I still owe you an apology.”

“Yeah, what made you think it was okay to shoot us in the first place?” 

“I’m  _ truly _ sorry. I already sent for a doctor to tend to your wounds,” her voice sounded sincere and he could see how guilty she was about what had transpired that night. “That bandage would have to make do for now.”

But how exactly did she carry both he and  _ Toothless _ to her palace and called for medical help in not less than a day? “…You went all the way back?”

“No,” she said simply, lifting her hand to catch the incoming paper plane in her palm. “I had Gale send them for me. They’re the wind spirit, if you will.”

(Of course. Gale. The wind. The only logical answer would always be  _ magic.) _

In less than a second, Hiccup’s hair was playfully blown upward by the wind once its fellow elemental introduced the invisible entity. “And Gale’s still mad at me for last night.” she told him, 

“It’s fine, uh, Gale,” the boy-chief, now returning his attention to the sorceress. “You’re not exactly the first. A lot of people have tried to kill me in the past, and you’re just another name to the list.”

How unfortunate for him, and she genuinely feels bad for the night prior. Even she had people who wanted her dead. A prince had made an attempt on her life by beheading her right where she stood; where everyone was there to watch. She had faced death more than once, and she very much preferred staying alive and never have to face it a third time.

It must have been horrible for him to live through that for yet another day. “Again, I’m sorry for yesterday… I don’t want to seem rude, but may I ask something?”

“Sure, go on ahead.” Hiccup said in between chewing his breakfast.

“Why do you have such a big target on your head?”

“When you’re the first known dragon tamer and everyone else outside your island hates them with all their being, they pretty much want me dead.” he told rather casually, heaving another piece of beef on a platter to feed to the slobbering Night Fury beside him.

“Oh…” she trailed off, not sure of what to say next.

“Don’t worry about it, I accept your apology,” he simply assured her. “I’m a viking; it’s an occupational hazard. And it’s not like everyday I get to meet a spirit like you.”

“Looks like someone else wants to apologize.” Elsa announced when Bruni hopped onto his uninjured arm with a guilty look, reluctantly glancing at the strips of cloth loosely wound around his forearm.

“It’s okay, little guy. I’m sure you didn’t mean it,” the viking petted his forehead, and the salamander crooned into his hand, taking the gesture as a sign that Hiccup had forgiven him. The amphibian then beamed at him, setting himself ablaze. “Hot! Hot!”

Carefully, he lowered the fire elemental down the polished floors, then stuck his palm on the surface of the table to cool it off. Elsa conjured a snow flurry over his tiny head, where Bruni sprawled and lied on his belly in a relaxed manner. “He and I were probably called by the voice that night. Bruni must have been overwhelmed when he saw you and heard the singing.”

“I think we all came there for that very same reason,” Hiccup passes by Toothless, signalling him to come over so they can eat. “Say, you don’t happen to know where the singing’s from, do you?” he asked as he sat down opposite of her.

“Wha—What singing? Never heard of it, no. Sorry.” she forgot. Only spirits could hear it. What he heard was  _ her _ voice. The look of surprise on Elsa’s face betrayed her every word.

“So you were the one who—” an amused smirk crossed his face as he prodded on.

Elsa cringed at the mere mention of it, cutting him off. “We don’t talk about that here.”

“But you were—” Hiccup paused at the scathing glare she was giving him. “Your voice, it was beautiful.”

Her cheeks burned brightly. “I was just… I heard the voice, and I sort of… sang along.”

“So that would mean I heard  _ you, _ and  _ not _ the  _ forest _ voice. You guys hear it, and I don’t.” he said out loud, making sure he had it correct. Hiccup almost thought he was a spirit there for a second. Elsa didn’t have the chance to respond as the ground beneath them shook.

The slightest tremor could be felt in the palace, the fruits and the kransekakes on the cake stand fell out of place. Hiccup was quick to extend an arm to save it, but Toothless had already caught it in his mouth.

Then, it stops.

Then, everyone in the room froze, all except Hiccup.

_ “Ah ah ah ah,” _

Elsa could hear the siren calling. She inhaled sharply, feeling the urge to  _ follow _ it. Toothless perked up, tailing after the blue salamander as he scampered towards the balcony.

Hiccup cleared his throat—completely  _ oblivious _ to what’s going on—and draws her back to reality. “Is there something wrong?”

“No. There’s absolutely  _ nothing _ to worry about. It’s just another earthquake.” she said sternly, not wanting to explain it to him yet. He’s her guest, and she didn’t want him to be more involved in this more than he already is. She saw his bandage again and flinched. He didn’t want to put him into further danger.

“Is it the voice again?”

She snapped to look up at him. “I said  _ no. _ You better help yourself to some breakfast first, and—”

“Well, I’m beginning to think it is,” their cold-blooded companions were acting like crazy, itching to return to the woods. “We better get going.”

“…We? Now? As in right now? I already had prepared breakfast—!”

“Breakfast can wait, but this can’t,” he explained briefly, unable to get a proper hold of his dragon, who couldn’t seem to stay still. “Unless you don’t want to come. You always have the option to stay, and I won’t force you to go.”

“I should be saying that to  _ you,” _ she countered, feeling the need to ask him to stay put and let her deal with it as the protector of her forest. Without his dragon, he’s mortal, just like any regular human being. And that fact scared her the most. “You might get hurt.” she started pointedly at his arm.

“It’s just a scratch. Besides, I have Toothless with me,” Hiccup was already mounting himself on the saddle. “The wild dragon might be there, and  _ you _ might get hurt. You should sit this one out.”

_ Her? _ Sit it out? And let an outsider take care of  _ her _ problem? “That’s hardly an option.” she retorted.

Hiccup offered her his hand.

“It can’t be helped then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup is such a nerd. I loved exploring his superstitious side! He always strikes me as the type to fanboy over fairy tales as a kid, hence his love for troll hunting and fascination with dragons.
> 
> I know I mentioned "Nattmara" in the last chapter. I might have confused the words in my head, when I was really referring to the "Huldra". (Maybe I got too excited to incorporate the Forest of Shadows storyline into this chap, but got too lazy to do it lmao.)
> 
> Sorry it took longer to update! Had a lot of things on my plate. I do hope you're all doing well!


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